PDP Chieftain Segun Sowunmi Urges Party to Woo Peter Obi Back

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has called on the party to initiate moves to bring back former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, into its fold.

Sowunmi made the appeal on Friday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

He argued that Obi’s departure weakened the PDP and that the party must begin honest conversations to reconcile with the former vice-presidential candidate.

“Any deep-thinking, fair-minded Nigerian who is in the PDP ought to know that the greatest, necessary next step is to have the conversation about: ‘How do you bring Peter back?’—now that the energy driving him is organic,” Sowunmi said.

Obi, who defected from the PDP to the Labour Party in May 2022, had cited massive bribery of delegates and vote-buying during the party’s presidential primary. He also accused a powerful clique within the PDP of working against his aspirations.

Despite his defection, Obi gained significant support during the 2023 presidential election, securing over 6 million votes and finishing third. Sowunmi argued that the PDP’s failure to retain Obi was a major loss.

“One of the people who was a PDP member, a South-Eastern man who felt that the South-East was excluded—Peter Obi—was allocated 6.2 million votes. You lose the election, you run to the Supreme Court, you lose—at least you were adjudged to have lost,” he said.

The PDP has been embroiled in internal crises since its defeat in the 2023 election, with divisions emerging over leadership positions. Following the removal of former National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu, Ambassador Umar Damagum was appointed acting chairman. However, efforts to replace him with a substantive chairman from the North Central zone have triggered fresh disputes.

Additionally, a legal tussle continues over the position of National Secretary between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Peter Ude-Okoye.

Sowunmi attributed the party’s woes to internal failings and complacency, noting that defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and recurring crises were self-inflicted.

“There is a level of activity you can blame on your bullies, but there’s also a continuous lack of creativity that you must hold yourself responsible for,” he noted.

He also warned against underestimating President Bola Tinubu, describing him as intellectually formidable despite his frail appearance.

“The painful thing is that my own side is pretending that he is an easy material to defeat in politics. What do they know that he doesn’t know?” Sowunmi asked.